civilzues

Hello everyone,
I have a question regarding the Mazda3 pricing...(I have to wait till end of April but I want the car NOW!!! )
I get the S-plan discount (6% off), but am wondering if I should haggle with the dealer to get more off or if I should just skip the S-plan ad try to negotiate a price. I really need some help/advice with this as my last car came with employee pricing PLUS another 2500 off.

Thanks in advance,
CiviZues

civilzues

also what problems have people had with there 3's? My current car has loads of problems, mostly dealing with the crappy trans.

JoshP5

Here's a list of technical service bulletins for the Mazda3. It'll give you some idea of the more common problems with them. But keep in mind the majority of owners have had few, if any, problems.

macdaddyslomo

I would go with the s-plan...there are almost NO deals on the 3 right now...bear in mind dealers can not keep enough of these on their lots.... I heard people on this board say to negotiate a better price, but i've never had anyone actually provide numbers that they were able to do so...

civilzues

the link didn't work for me.

civilzues

thanks! good to know, I might just have to bt the bullet w/this, but it willbe worth it.

ahightower

My dealer took $1100 off sticker without batting an eye, which amounted to $12 below invoice. I don't know if your S-plan is 6% off MSRP or 6% off invoice, and whether that 6% discount is applied to the destination fee as well. But it may be worth asking the internet sales guys to make their best offer, and then see how the S-plan compares. I disagree with the advice to not even try to negotiate.

ahightower

You can find recall and TSB info on Edmunds. There have been no major issues with the Mazda3, and if you are looking at new ones, they've been out since 2003 or 2004, so you can be pretty confident they've got any quality issues worked out by now. As far as transmission problems, be a man and drive a manual. You'll save money now AND later.

macdaddyslomo

I call BS...even on a BASE 3, MSRP is more than $1100 over invoice..I see these invoices every day...

Please bear in mind, I work for Ford Credit...There is no such thing as getting a better deal than employee pricing..

ahightower

I don't know what to say, amigo. Can you prove that the invoice prices given on Edmunds.com are incorrect? MSRP is $17,245, invoice is $16,157, and I paid $16,145. Which is 6.37% below MSRP. Looks like I got a better deal.

JoshP5

Fixed.

macdaddyslomo

actually Edmunds says invoice, but the actual price they are giving is wholesale...there IS a difference...but the only way i could back it up would be to post info that would get me in trouble...doesn't really matter, this sould prove my point

s-plan is not 6% below msrp

the price varies based on what you actually buy...plus s-plan also means the dealer cant charge you any extra fees like dealer prep or stamp fees they like to throw in....

I pulled some interesting info, based on a simarly priced model based on what you bought ...$16255 MSRP...s-plan $15022...7.5% savings, not including what you save on dealer fees...so no, you did NOT get a better deal... AMIGO...

ahightower

Okay. Why so hostile? Would have been more helpful to post figures in the first place. And this coming from the MODERATOR?... doesn't bode well for your forum here.

macdaddyslomo

My forum will be just fine....It's been around for quite a while, and so have I. And there is no hostility....just no tolerance with same old response to that question. Every tom, dick, and harry that thinks they are great at getting car deals, swears they can do better than an employee discount. But never actually does.

Again the fact that I actually work in auto finance shoould be enough proof...Your few dealings with buying a car, and the fact that you can check Edmunds hardly qualifies you to argue with me about how to get the best deal on a car.... I do this 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year... This is my profession.

The guy that ASKED the question seemed to have no problem with the answer.

Thread closed.